British Strategy
Major general Edward Pakenham’s final plan was to charge Major General Jackson’s position before daylight, to reduce the effectiveness of American artillery fire. The plan was complicated and depended on split-second timing and coordination.
The British attack force was divided into four major groups:
Lt. Colonel Thornton would take the 85th Regiment across the Mississippi River and capture David Morgan’s line on the West Bank.
Major General Samuel Gidds would attack near the cypress swamp, use fascmes (bundles of cane) and ladders to bridge the Rodriguez Canal, and strike the American rampart in the vicinity of Batteries 7 and 8.
Major general john Keane would conduct a demonstration and feint toward the river, to attract the fire of the heavier American guns.
Lt. Colonel Rennie would advance simultaneously along the riverbank below the levee and spike the guns in the redoubt on the American right. For complete success, the plan required Pakenham’s command to move decisively, surprising the Americans at the ramparts before any firing occurred.
Marker is on Battlefield Road, on the left when traveling east.
Courtesy hmdb.org
